This past month, I’ve found myself in an amusement park once my head hits the pillow. I have had recurring dreams before, such as my teeth crumbling inside of my mouth (not actually falling out, but I’m unsure if that’s better or worse), my vision fading away, and driving an out-of-control car. I have previously thought about what aspects of my life may be causing those, but the amusement park is notably curious because it has a much more enjoyable connotation than the other recurring images.
When I speak of the amusement park from my dreams, it’s actually a particular section of rides within a larger park. The image is consistently super crowded and otherworldly, with colorful coasters twisting around each other and towering high above the rest of the park. It is crowded and loud, with carnival-style music. There is a sign in front with glowing lights, but I’m not sure what it says; I assume it’s the name of that area. At this point, the amusement park has appeared four times in my dreams:
1. The first dream was a trip to Cedar Point. We were riding the existing rides, like Gatekeeper and Maverick, but I kept telling my group that we had to ride some of the coasters in the cluster that only existed in the dream. They were supposedly the biggest, craziest rides in the park. We left the park early, either due to tiredness or rain, so we did not ride any of them.
2. The next dream was a trip to Disney World. Once again, the coasters invented by my dreams were placed at the center of the park. This time, I got to ride one of the coasters. It was a hanging cart, like that of a Ferris wheel, on a roller coaster track.
3. The next dream was like the first, in which I did not get to ride the rides. After I had this dream, I tried to describe the recurring image to someone in real life.
4. The most recent amusement park dream did not actually feature the cluster of coasters I have seen before. Instead, it was my friends and I taking our annual trip to Cedar Point and I described the past dreams to them within the dream. Describing past dreams within a dream is something I have experienced before, but it was the amusement park yet again!
Finding The meaning
Psych Central states that “dreams have the potential of being mental health markers, giving you insights into your mental well-being.” Considering the abundance of this image and setting, I believe it must mean something. The amusement park became a symbol of something unobtainable yet something positive. I got a taste of it only in the second dream. Considering that I have been job searching, I started to wonder if the amusement park was a career aspiration. I want to work in copywriting, publishing, or bookselling, plus I’d love to publish my own short story collection or novel. It would make sense for the amusement park, a happy image, to represent a part of my future that I’m looking forward to achieving.
[Roller coasters] symbolize how we can embrace the changes we need in our lives — whether embracing new people, new experiences, or changing how we live.
Worldofdreams.com
Upon searching for anything on online about amusement park dreams, I found both positive and negative interpretations. World of Dreams lists freedom, direction, and growth but also fear, lack of trust, and feeling out of control. Generally, it seems that a roller coaster in a dream represents the ups and downs in our lives, which makes perfect sense to me as a college student bridging the gap from childhood/teen years to young adulthood. Likewise, I’m someone who always needs a plan and structure, so uncertainties in my life can easily become overwhelming. There are things in my near future that I’m excited and nervous for: finding a fulfilling job, making money, moving out of my childhood home, maintaining friendships, making new friendships, getting published, etc. Even though my dream self hasn’t gotten to ride the rides, I’m hopeful because my dream self is explicitly eager to. World of Dreams says “Just like when you choose to ride a real-life roller coaster, your dream self trusts that you will be able to handle what’s coming next, even though you can’t immediately predict it.”
